A case has been filed against 400 to 500 unidentified people over the attack, vandalism, looting and arson at the office of Bangla daily Prothom Alo.
The case was lodged at Tejgaon Police Station after midnight on Sunday under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Special Powers Act and the Cyber Security Ordinance.
Earlier, on Thursday night, following the death of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Osman Hadi, an agitated crowd carried out vandalism and looting at the Prothom Alo office in Karwan Bazar in the capital before setting the premises on fire.
The case was filed four days after the incident.
According to the case statement, the accused allegedly created riots, unlawfully entered the office, carried out looting and destruction, set fire to the premises with intent to kill, issued threats, and destroyed evidence of the crime.
The complaint also alleges arson and vandalism aimed at shutting down the publication of Prothom Alo and obstructing office operations, as well as providing instructions for criminal activities online and engaging in subversive acts.
The first information report (FIR) states that the value of looted property during the attack, vandalism and arson amounted to Tk2.5 crore, while the total amount of damage stood at Tk32 crore.
A report published in Prothom Alo detailed the contents of the FIR.
According to the report, around 11:15pm on Thursday, 20 to 30 unidentified miscreants, armed with locally made weapons, sticks and inflammable materials, marched to the front of Prothom Alo office in Karwan Bazar and attempted to launch an attack.
When police resisted, they unlawfully gathered in front of the office, chanting provocative slogans. They allegedly contacted people by phone and through social media posts to mobilise more individuals and continued posting inciting messages calling for attacks on Prothom Alo.
Subsequently, between 400 and 500 miscreants from different parts of Dhaka gathered in front of the office.
Around 11:50pm, they broke the glass and shutters of the main gate, vandalised the premises, carried out looting and set it on fire. They smashed the glass at the front of the building, threw furniture, equipment and documents down, and set them ablaze.
The attackers reportedly looted around 150 computers, laptops, electrical equipment, cash kept in lockers, and books published by Prothoma Prokashon from different floors. They also damaged the building’s fire safety system.
To destroy evidence, the miscreants vandalised CCTV cameras and obstructed the Fire Service from carrying out firefighting operations, the FIR added.
